Southern Section Restructures Championships : Cross-country: Realignment based on student enrollment is designed to make teams more competitive on the state level.

In an effort to qualify the most competitive teams for the state cross-country championships, the Southern Section has restructured its postseason format based on school enrollment rather than on overall league strength.

Under the new alignment, the nearly 500 Southern Section schools will be divided into four divisions and eight classifications. For example, Division I, which is for schools with at least 2,026 students, will be split into the I-AA class--for the largest qualifying schools--and the I-A. A separate team and an individual champion will emerge from each class.

The enrollment figures used to place teams within each division are the same figures used to determine state qualifiers.

“The purpose was to qualify the best teams from the Southern Section to the state competition,” Southern Section administrator Dean Crowley said.

Crowley said the change was necessitated after schools such as Canyon and Arroyo Grande highs--whose teams would have been competitive in the state meet--missed qualifying for the championships under the old formula.

This fall, the Southern Section will be permitted to send four teams and four individuals not on a qualifying team to the state championships in four divisions, which are also based on overall school enrollment. Last year, the Southern Section was permitted to advance five teams and five individuals in three divisions.

As in the past, state-meet qualifiers will be determined by performance in the Southern Section meet. Although the Southern Section finals will be scored in eight classifications, the AA and A classes will race together in the division finals to determine state meet qualifiers. Cumulative scoring will determine the qualifiers to the state meet while separate scores will be tallied to determine class AA and A titles.

The change will divide several leagues for postseason competition. For example, Channel Islands, which had 2,750 students last year, and Agoura, with 1,900, both will compete in the Marmonte League finals but will run in different divisions in the Southern Section meet.

Besides Division I, the other classifications, with their enrollment ranges, are Division II, 1,526 to 2,025 students; Division III, 901-1,525; and Division IV, fewer than 900 students.

Although the same number of teams--48--will qualify for the Southern Section finals as in years past, the number of titles at stake will double. That’s one reason why Bill Duley, who coached Agoura to 2-A Division titles in both the boys’ and girls’ competition, is opposed to the change.

“I don’t know if I’m crazy about having eight divisions because it seems like everyone is going to get trophies,” he said.